WHO THE HELL IS VIVIAN GREEN? That's the question I was asking my self when I picked up this CD. I said ''What the hell'', popped it in the computer and figured I'd listen to it while I was trying to get some work done. It started off OK but then an hour went by, the CD cut off & I was amazed that I had listened to the entire CD & not once skipped a track or uttered the words ''This $#!t is garbage''. But being caught up in my work I didn't really give it a good listen to. I figured at the very least, it made for good background music. So I clicked the repeat button again & off I went, this time paying close attention. After another hour I had finally come to the conclusion that A Love Story is a very solid debut effort.

I tried to find someone to compare her to & found myself at a loss. She's kind of like Jill Scott, but not as vocally or lyrically powerful. She's kind of like Erykah Badu but not as hip-hop. Kind of like Alicia Keys, But more soulful. Then I realized that she's a little bit of all that & more.

For those wondering, Vivian Green is another product of the Philadelphia music scene. And most recently was a back-up singer for Jill Scott. During Scott's International tour she was told that record company people wanted to meet her, a year and some months later we find her releasing her debut album.

The album features elements of hip-hop & R&B. But its the live instrumentation & jazz inspired tracks like ''No Sittin' By The Phone'' that really make this album a pleasure to listen to. There are a couple of samples on the album [Joe Sample & Isaac Hayes] but even these are just replayed versions and not simply jacked from the original pieces of work.

Overall A Love Story is pretty damn good & I find the more I listen to it the more I like it. This album has earned its way into my music rotation. Now be warned, if you appreciate artists like Jill Scott or the Jazzyfatnastees, then this is definitely an album you should pick up. On the other hand, if artists like Kelly Rowlands or 3LW are more your flavor, then you probably should try it before you buy it.

SonicAmp Rating: 8/10